Full moon party round 2

Snakes and Ladyboys

Happily settled in Koh Samui we spent our nights alternating between the local ladyboy bars and the neighbouring Chaweng nightclubs feeding our Beer Chang addiction.  By day we rode mopeds and on one of the nicer days stopped at Noah and I’s favourite cliffside restaurant, the aptly named Cliff. A Mediterranean gem, it was definitely more expensive than the average Thai eatery but was as delicious as we remembered it being 4 years ago.  Appetites satisfied, we were off to Koh Phangnan for the full moon party.

Our veranda

Full moon party

We booked a place a 30min tuktuk ride away from the actual party, in Haad Yao.  Sam and Chelsea’s room was right next to ours and we quickly discovered they were connected by a giant patio.  Looking right over the ocean, we spent the nights leading up to the full moon party having drinks and playing cards on our penthouse patio.  The night of the full moon party finally arrived and, Noah and I acting as the resident experts, prepped Sam and Chelsea for the big night.   Despite drizzling a bit, we headed to Warm Up bar to get ourselves fully decked out in glow in the dark paint.  Four years ago Noah and I  were far too mature for the face paint, however somehow this time around it seemed wholly appropriate.  Drinking, dancing, chatting, dancing and more dancing ensued before we grabbed some late night snacks and piled into a tuk tuk back to Haad Yao at the oh-so-reasonable hour of 5:30am.

With a day for recovery in between, we chilled out on our beach before heading off to Koh Phi Phi. 

Fishing with Papa Dang

Another repeat from our trip of four years ago, we returned to find the island changed but still just as much fun as before.  We even found Papa Dang to take us fishing, and although we didn’t catch the 7.5 foot sailfish like last time, all four of us brought in a tuna that Mama Dang later cooked for us.   After a few late nights, including one where a packet of crips turned out to be Sam’s saviour, we moved on once again.  This time Phuket.

Now, I swore I would never set foot on Patong beach but as we were all flying out from Phuket airport the following day we made an exception.  For the one night we stayed there, it was fine. We wandered the streets by day, and as it was not the nicest weather the four of us decided to take in the latest Twilight movie, VIP style.  For £2 each couple was treated to a double-wide lazyboy couch, and the best seats in the theatre.  Why more theatres don’t have this option is beyond me!  As we were saying goodbye to Chelsea and Sam the following day we had one  last night on the town. Wandering up and down the main drag to calls of ‘Ping Pong show! Ping Pong Show!’  we celebrated our last night out with, what else? Buckets!   The next day we had a fairwell lunch at a delicious upscale Italian restaurant on a secluded beach and headed to the airport for one last Chang before boarding the plane.  Sam and Chelsea were off to follow our suggestions for the in Vietnam and Noah and I to Kuala Lumpur for a quick stop before heading to Hong Kong!

Our last meal as a group

Thailand fast facts:

Currency: Thai Baht  50 = £1

Average price of a beer: £0.50

Average price of a bucket: £2

Average price for dinner for 2 incl. drinks (restaurant): £5

Average price for dinner  for 2 incl. drinks (street food):£2

Average price for a manicure: £2

Favourite national dish: Shling: Papaya Salad Noah: Cashew Nut Chicken and Massaman Curry